INSTRUCTIONS

ZOOM IN by clicking on the page. A slider will appear, allowing you to adjust your zoom level. Return to the original size by clicking on the page again.

MOVE the page around when zoomed in by dragging it.

ADJUST the zoom using the slider on the top right.

ZOOM OUT by clicking on the zoomed-in page.

SEARCH by entering text in the search field and click on "In This Issue" or "All Issues" to search the current issue or the archive of back issues
respectively.

PRINT by clicking on thumbnails to select pages, and then press the
print button.

SHARE this publication and page.

ROTATE PAGE allows you to turn pages 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise. Click on the page to return to the original orientation. To zoom in on a rotated page, return the page to its original orientation, zoom in, and
then rotate it again.

CONTENTS displays a table of sections with thumbnails and descriptions.

ALL PAGES displays thumbnails of every page in the issue. Click on
a page to jump.

BROWSE ISSUES allows you to browse through every available issue.

A FREE APP allows you to download issues to your mobile device for offline viewing. Get the Model Railroader Archive app in the iTunes and Google Play stores.

k ./11 . k: 13 4. ,, . I ./ . ...'. I • :I . ex F.7.--- - -..'i .h ij . rt, :C »../ 4 :A ..... ".'- -.... -'- r e. : I.-I -'=.7-,tigii-, R**F .t"I.*. 7 ' :2,='te I a.r, 'T VI - 11 4 1-rl - - .Alb ..· Working headlights and truck lights make these HO scale Rock Island Geeps fun to run with the lights down low, The engines are shown switching on Don Bredbecles layout. *'- 3 -.....17.1. ...A *036:1.11....s.:u,-0---(r- - *.0:/i - . I *6 - Superdetailing Rock Island GP7s .., _.& Adding details and a few surprises to Atlas HO models headlights. Next, to make room for the -4 =.1 BY JOE SINDELAR PHOTOS BY KEITH THOMPSON cab interior, I remove the section that splices the short hood to the long hood as Here's how I build 196Os-era Rock Is- shown in fig. 1. I like to leave a 1/16" lip land GP7 models in HO starting with an on each hood to make a solidjointwhenI Atlas GP7. Besides all the "normal" de- glue the cab and two hoods together. tails, my models feature working truck .1.-· -1 ASA ROCK ISLAND modeler, I'm lights, "switchable" constant headlights, * could be seen doing transfer work or / switching a yard one day and heading next day. .,1... p «3. :t«..... * lit-4 . *. rl 1, -11 •'r I. * 1/1 # . I ..036 ., ... 2.. . 'i .. ..... . . . '......... . ....... ... . -.-042i.' ..'. ,, ... .. . ........ ............. ..,.•··47 % , BODY WORK / '4 ki fascinated with the railroad's 112 full cab interiors, "plugable" m.u. cables, and drill holes in the hoods for new wire- '- d! 1 Electro-Motive GP7s. As the largest and opening cab windows. .J class of diesels on the "Rock," GP7s Before reassembling the body, I shave off the cast-on grab irons and headlights formed grab irons and lift rings. I then glue the body pieces back together. After the body joints have set over- •I upa crack "Rocket Freight" the very casting from the metal frame and snap- lift rings, grab irons, and cab awnings. Ili- ......-'.1 starting inthe early 1960s. Next, I move the Atlas horns from the sides to the tops of the hoods I fill the horn mounting holes on the sides with putty and sand them smooth Some Rock Island Geeps had their single-chime horns replaced in the early '6Os by a three-chime Nathan P3 mounted on top of the nose. Look at prototype photos to see which horn to use. LUMS ; ':FS: ... , .... .. I. i ' .....:/O ,1.1 -4- 1, .····. .·.-i -e. '2;E•Z-"./. ..t . -'»»«449//' ... .-.......'.........:. .. ................. & - -- , 1 , '. ·lill,·,1·.« -- - ' FRAME I equip my Geeps with a headlight that can be turned on or off to suit its position in a lash-up. I modify the frame so a small single-pole single- throw (SPST) switch can be mounted under the fuel tank. This requires drilling a hole through the fuel tank and in- stalling the switch. See fig. 2. This is a good time to drill holes J. David Ingles through the frame under the cab to ac- • ' ' Rock Island 1257 shows off the later-style paint scheme applied to many of the railroad's GP7s commodate the truck lights over the ' in the mid-1950s. Note the squared-off 1,200-gallon fuel tank that was added by the Rock Island. I. 13'. .•. 108 DECEMBER 1992 front truck. The blocks that stick up into I start each GP7 by removing the body night, I add the basic detail parts like ping out all the number boards and Rock Island GP7s were delivered with canvas awnings, but a number of en, gines were converted to steel awnings , , . .... # .. 1 - -» 44. l . '-. # .. t 1*4 - liN ... -- ... -/ ./.-'.... .: 4.'11 : .".a '- 036..-'.